Free coffee and snacks
Welcome to university exam period — the only time when that cheesy expression “time flies by when you’re having fun” haunts every student sitting in a cubicle glued to classnotes and overly groped textbooks.
If meditation practices the art of stress relief through concentration and repetition, then studying for finals would be its polar opposite. Students are so focused on their studies that they lose track of time and space, sometimes going for hours without eating or resting.
That’s why Concordia University’s Alumni Relations will be hosting Coffee Study Breaks, a five-year-old tradition created by Alumni Officer Rose Wangechi to give students a break from their study-spells.
Wangechi knows calling the exam period a “busy” time is an understatement. “I have met students who had no time to cook or sleep. They really had no time for anything except studying,” said Wangechi.
Starting at the Vanier Library at Loyola Campus on December 1 to 2 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., the coffee break sessions will present a smorgasbord of snacks: locally grown apples, bananas, oranges. Hot coffee and cookies will also be served. The event will continue on December 7 and 8, in the atrium of the J.W. McConnell Library Building (LB), from 2:30 to 7:30 p.m.
In the five years since Wangechi decided to help re-energize students during this tough period, she has one memory in particular that will always stick with her. “I remember I was approached by a JMSB student. She told me she hadn’t a decent nights sleep in days. Then she went on to ask me if I wouldn’t mind if she took three bananas and several cookies because that would be her lunch and dinner for the rest of her day,” reminisced Wangechi. She adds, a hungry student is never turned down.
For second year Concordia communication student, Haley Firkser, the “Coffee Study Breaks” will be a good opportunity to relax and socialize without having to go out into the cold or depleting a student budget on coffee. “In our hours of stress, the last thing we want to do is chart our way through the cold to Second Cup or whatever’s close to us,” emphasized Firkser.“
As of last year, Coffee Study Breaks served a minimum of a thousand students per day. This year, Wangechi is confident that more students will be able to come to unload their stress and refuel. Wangechi’s only caution to students is to bring a mug to support Concordia’s environmental awareness.
Related links:
• Coffee Study Breaks
• “Tips to avoid exam stress” – NOW, Nov. 15, 2011